Should pressure washing companies be licensed???

[Beth n Rod]

I'll PM it to you. Give me a few mins....
Beth

[tonyshelton]

Sounds to me like Tony condones shoddy work and hacks.
Beth

I've had the same guys do my yard for years. Are they insured? Who knows? Who cares?

I could easily hire a verified licensed, fully insured established landscaping company for three times the price.

Either way, my yard would have been blown, trimmed and mowed every week. If they did a crappy job I'd fire them and it would have been my fault for taking a chance on "unlicensed" lawn mowers. I've saved over $12,000 in landscaping since I hired them. That's a years worth of car payments and insurance!

I and another guy painted our house. (7 years ago) It still looks great. It took one weekend. I saved $8000. I bought a Titan professional sprayer with that savings and now my son uses it to seal concrete.

I saved $4000 by hiring two guys to install new windows in my house.

I was quoted $2000 to add a 50 amp RV hookup 90 ft from the panel. A handyman did it for $500.00. It passed inspection just like it would have if I paid $2000.00. Another $1500 saved. That paid for a long weekend at Malibu in the camper.

4 years ago a sewer pipe broke under the house. The quote was $1000. I directed Chris to the internet where he learned how to fix it and paid him $200.

Installed instant water heaters with long pipe runs. Quote $1200.00. Plumber from craigslist -$350.00- Passed inspection by the city.

I could go on and on. I just don't get the argument.

There is a place in society for hacks. Beth, you can't force the market to pay higher prices for a guarantee of quality contractors when there is no such thing as a guarantee of quality contractors.

If I had a deck I would hire some guy off craigslist to do it. If he screwed it up it would be my own d*mn fault for being such a cheapskate. I might have to pay more later to fix it. OR I might get a good contractor (hack) and get mine done whenever I need it for 1/4th the going rate for "licensed" contractors.

I know you don't want to hear that. But it's reality. There are a lot of Tony Sheltons out there. WE are not your market. Your market is the people who put a guaranty of quality at the top of their list. Your market is the people who've been screwed by the hacks before. Developing a good educational website and educating the customer is a far more honorable way to earn business than by using the strong arm of the government to force homeowners to hire licensed contractors against their will.

That's why I don't mess with the residential market. Joe Residential only has to answer to himself and his wife, so he can hire whoever he wants. Property managers, business owners and other commercial customers have to answer to customers and corporate. It PAYS for them to do due diligence to hire only fully insured and proven contractors. Not so in the residential market.

It's two different worlds. I know this is a predominantly residential board and I expect to get crucified for this. But I think the FREE market should set prices and not the government.

[Beth n Rod]

You raise good points, but allow me to make one.....this is ONE example of what we hear....

Lady calls, very frustrated. She lives in a townhome. She just finished doing her deck herself. She did a great job, one she was very happy with. Her neighbor hired an unlicensed hack. Said hack came in and and blasted the deck they were working on, and her deck was in proximity so it got hit as well. Nothing was rinsed. This hack also runs around throwing an acrylic sealer that is meant for DRY wood on immediately following the wash. The hack sealed the deck he was working on , the back of the house he was working on, her newly finished deck, and the back of her house. The neighbor is livid and so is the poor lady in proximity WHO DIDN'T hire the guy!

Think about that. SHE didn't hire him, and her deck is screwed up. So now, she has to get her neighbor to pay for her deck re-do, since the hack...won't come back...and even IF he would, would you WANT him to?

No. And if the guy had been licensed, he WOULD have had to make it right.

Beth

[Beth n Rod]

Tony, Tony, Tony...
As usual we find ourselves at odds over this and I thought we had agreed we don't agree!?
I am not going to try to change your mind, Beth and I made our points for others to consider knowing you were steadfast in your ways.
We also understand that you have no sympathy for others who have bad things happen to them. That's ok, no one says you have to either.

We just find your lack of compassion for others and your business ethic's questionable.
You don't have to answer to us, we are not important, nor do we have any impact on your life or business. It's all up to you.

Great job on the savings...one heck of a job. I could make some additional points as to why others have higher prices but I know you don't care about that, its the bottom line, I understand.

Do what you gotta do and whats good for you and we shall do the same for ourselves.

Rod!~

[earlskelly]

you cant do ANYTHING without a licence, hunt,fish,boating,off-road,work,play ect. and you want a licence to wash a house? how about wash your car,mow your lawn,paint your house,saw some wood. some things seem good , but now we have a nation of laws. most are good , some are lame. just my opinion.

[tonyshelton]

Tony, Tony, Tony...
As usual we find ourselves at odds over this and I thought we had agreed we don't agree!?
I am not going to try to change your mind, Beth and I made our points for others to consider knowing you were steadfast in your ways.
We also understand that you have no sympathy for others who have bad things happen to them. That's ok, no one says you have to either.

We just find your lack of compassion for others and your business ethic's questionable.
You don't have to answer to us, we are not important, nor do we have any impact on your life or business. It's all up to you.

Great job on the savings...one heck of a job. I could make some additional points as to why others have higher prices but I know you don't care about that, its the bottom line, I understand.

Do what you gotta do and whats good for you and we shall do the same for ourselves.

Rod!~

Rod, it's not that I don't have sympathy for people who are truly wronged. It's just that people most people today seem to have the "victim" mentality when they brought it on themselves.

What about the Lady in Beth's example? She probably has a legitimate complaint. But for every legitimate example like that, how many opportunists go out and see a speck on their deck and go on the rampage just trying to get theirs done for free? The answer in Beth's example is to turn in a claim to the neighbor's insurance company. Then the insurance company can decide if they simply want to pay out or if it's worth going after the hack.

What are some other alternatives to meet your goals without asking the government to make decisions for the homeowner?

What about the media? Beth, why wouldn't you call the local TV station about the lady's deck?

What about negative advertising. The college educated (indoctrinated) marketing guys will tell you it doesn't work. But some of the most successful ads use negative advertising. Hasn't those pictures of nasty ducts made you at least think about getting your ducts cleaned? Ads with pictures of your beautiful work will bring in the high dollar customers, but ads showing shoddy work will bring in the thrifty ones. My video on youtube of hack filter work has gotten me at least three big accounts. We don't need the government to babysit us.

Rod, I can't stop. I'm obsessed. I just know that one day you're going to break down and become a republican!

[Beth n Rod]

Earlskelly -

GET OUR CARTOON OFF OF YOUR SIGNATURE! I don't tolerate the use of our name or logo by anyone....

I have removed it and I better not see you using it again! You're lucky I didn't ban you!

Beth

[CarolinaProWash]

We have recently run into a situation that has only strengthened my position on YES, there should be some form of licensing. Look for a thread that not only talks about unlicensed & uneducated people using pressure washers, but also the ramifications of messing with lead paint It will be easy to find after I write it